nipper

BINGO! nipper

4 Cylinder Engines have a boom effect. There is a RPM where they suddenly get loud, then get quiet. Its complicated harmonics in the intake and exhaust system. If this just started look at the intake and exhaust system, make sure nothing is broken or loose. Make sure there are no clogs. nipper

Not really. 10% is nothing, and you really cant go by percentages, you need raw numbers. YOu can have one cylnder at 180 and another at 160 psi and still be acceptable (mathmatically it should be an 18 psi differnce but most gauges dont have markings that are readable that fine). A vaccume gauge is more dependent on valve timing, a "hot" cam will have a lower a vacum then a stock cam, but that doesnt mean anything is wrong with the car. What the vacum gauge will tell you about your engine is if the needle is bouncing around at idle. In fact a vacume gauge can be muchh more informtaive then a compression tester when your first looking for the source of a problem. This isnt mine, but it explains it better then me doing alot of typing: Diagnosing car engines with a vacuum gauge. A vacuum gauge gives a quick and cheap (under $15) indication of engine problems. To isolate a problem further diagnostics are usually needed. This is a consolidation of diagnostics from three sources: 1. instructions for Equus vacuum gauge 2. Chilton general car care manual 3. Haynes emissions control manual Connecting the vacuum gauge. Engine must be warm or the gauge reading will be too high and computer will be in warmup mode. Select a vacuum hose connected directly to the car's intake manifold or select an unused port on the manifold. The best alternative would be to attach a hose to an unused port on the manifold and leave it there for use with the gauge. Plug the hose when not in use. Otherwise if in doubt which hoses are connected to the intake manifold, consult the hose diagram on the emissions sticker, usually found on the underside of the hood or on the firewall, or consult a repair manual. If still in doubt the hose to the MAP (pressure) sensor is connected directly to the intake manifold. The gauge can be tapped into a hose using a T-connector. For a quick and dirty reading unplug the easy to find PCV hose on the valve cover and plug in the vacuum gauge. Using the PCV hose may not give a direct connection to the intake manifold and it will cause the engine to idle slowly, but it will give an intake vacuum reading and is easy to use when looking at a strange car, for example a prospective purchase. Start the engine and read the gauge in inches of mercury (in Hg). The dial on the gauge may be marked with the good range. 1. Equus instructions a. testing at idle speed - compare vacuum reading with manufacturer's specification. - a lower reading indicates possible incorrect timing, incorrect valve timing or adjustment, incorrect setting of idle mixture, worn piston rings, or leak in intake manifold. - readings that change slowly indicate incorrect setting of idle mixture screw. - readings that change quickly indicate sticky valve guides, burned valve sets, or leak in head gasket. b. testing at 2000 rpm - a lower reading indicates possible restriction in exhaust. - oscillating reading indicates possible weak valve springs. 2. Chilton general car care manual. - gauge reading steady 17-22 in Hg indicates normal engine in good condition. - gauge reading low (15-20 in Hg) but steady indicates late ignition or valve timing, low compression, stuck throttle valve, leaking carburetor or manifold gasket. - gauge reading steady but dropping regularly indicates burnt valve or improper valve clearance. - gauge reading dropping gradually at idle indicates choked muffler or obstruction in exhaust. - gauge reading slowly dropping to zero as engine speeds up indicates choked muffler. - gauge reading fluctuating between 15 and 20 in Hg at idle indicates stuck valve or ignition miss. - gauge reading drifting indicates improper carburetor adjustment or minor intake leak at carburetor or manifold. - gauge reading fluctuating as engine speed increases indicates weak valve springs, worn valve stem guides. - gauge reading vibrating excessively at idle but steady as engine speeds up indicates worn valve guides. - gauge reading vibrating excessively at all speeds indicates leaky cylinder head gasket. 3. Haynes emissions control manual a. testing at various speeds - engine starting vacuum should be 1 to 4 in Hg. To test disable ignition (ground wire from coil), hold throttle wide open, crank engine slowly with starting motor. - healthy engine at idle should read steady 15 to 20 in Hg. - healthy engine at 2000 rpm should read steady 19 to 21 in Hg. - healthy engine at open throttle should read close to 0 in Hg. - healthy decelerating engine reading should jump to 21 to 27 in Hg as open throttle released. b. testing at idle speed - low steady reading usually indicates leaking gasket between intake manifold and carburetor or throttle body, leaky vacuum hose, or incorrect camshaft timing. - low fluctuating (3 to 8 in Hg below normal) reading may indicate intake manifold gasket leak at an intake port or faulty injectors on port-injected engines. - regular drops (2 to 4 in Hg) in reading at a steady rate indicates probable leaking valves. - irregular drops in reading indicates possible sticking valve or ignition misfire. - rapid vibration (4 in Hg) in reading combined with exhaust smoke indicates worn valve guides. - slight fluctuation (1 in Hg) in reading indicates possible ignition problems. - large fluctuation (10 in Hg) in reading indicates likely weak or dead cylinder or blown head gasket. - slow movement through wide range in reading indicates possible clogged PCV system, incorrect idle fuel mixture, or gasket leak between carburetor, throttle body, or intake manifold. c. testing at higher speeds - rapid vibration (4 in Hg) in reading at increased engine speed indicates leaking intake manifold gasket or head gasket, weak valve springs, burned valves, or ignition misfire. - reading returns slowly to normal and didn't peak above normal (5 in Hg) after dropping to zero when throttle quickly snapped open (2500 rpm) suspect worn rings. - reading returns to normal after long delay when throttle quickly snapped open (2500 rpm) suspect blocked exhaust. d. testing for blocked exhaust - idle speed reading slowly dropping toward zero indicates exhaust restriction. - excessive backpressure in exhaust then indicated by reading not increasing quickly to about 16 in Hg when engine speed slowly increased to 2000 rpm. - backpressure also indicated by reading not dropping as quickly when throttle quickly released and remaining 5 in Hg higher or more than normal. - disconnect exhaust manifold from engine and retest. If problem disappears exhaust system is blocked. - to locate restriction reconnect exhaust system one unit at a time testing after each until problem reappears. nipper

you need to go someplace else. Your due for a timing belt. Thats when the engine seals water pump and tensioner should be done. WHY are they replacing head gaskets? Look under the car, is the engine wet? nipper

nope then every subaru engine would have this issue, including the 2.2. The problem is the HG design, not anything else (in conjunction with the open deck and higher combustion conditions). nipper

Ok delayed shifts are normal when cold. It takes longer sometimes for the tranny to warm uo then the engine. Delay in shifting, as long as the engine doesnt rev(flare) between shifts, its all normal, its winter. The high idle, that is most likey the idle air control, and she needs to find a shop. The IAC is what controls the engine rpm at idle. go to www.cartalk.com and see if there is a shop recomended in her area. Look for a AAA shop too. Shell is also pretty good as the warrenty on work is transferable to any shop. (I dont even know if shell is around any more). nipper

Im not understanding any of this. 1- When the car is cold, the transmission shifts late, its an emissions thing. All modern cars do it. 2- Changing fluid is an old wives tail, or applys to non computer comtrolled trannies. 3- Doesnt she have a AAA card? (she should if she is driving a car away from home). Find a AAA rated station. Dealer is full of biomass. Now exactly what is happening. nipper

hehehehe Blu a 1997 OBW with no HG issues, if you were to look at my overflow tank, you would think its a steam engine with many blown HG's. The dirt and filth is because no one ever drians and fills the overflow tank when they service the cooling system. Antifreeze gets yucky and gummy and sticky when exposed to air like that over many years and many miles. nipper

Ok back to the begining. Didint you get the complete cluster with the 140mph speedo. I thought you did. I told you the only differnce between a 120 and a 140 seems to be the connector in the back of the cluster, and that you should get that too. They look like they use the same VSS sensors and pulses, and all the black magic is done in the cluster. The change was probably done because of either a- insurance issues b- they started governing the engine or both. nipper

you rang? nipper

The reason i asked FWD vs AWD is because a AWD soobie has a split tank, and uses a "jet pump" (siphon) to move fuel from one side of the tank to the other. The 1/4 tank sympton is telling me that the fuel pump is not strong enough to make the siphon action work. Thats why your running out of fuel when you (knowing suabru fuel senders) have 1/4 tank or more left. about 1/4 tank is where the seperation is for the two parts of the tank. nipper

There are you happy? :-p Actually thats a decent experiment, but since no one esle has that problem, the tranny is still fried. And in truth, cold thick fluid usually works better then warmer thin fluid. nipper

been there done that didnt like it, especially at night. Just do what i suggested. nipper

I disagree. Its kind of silly to do all that work on the clutch and then have a cable snap (been there done that have the tow bill). replace the cable, especially if there are a lot of miles on it. if there are less then 100K on the cable then you can stay with the original one. Good news is that i can't find anything bad about them on the web. there are a few other clutch kits sold on ebay that are pure garbage. nipper

Sometimes a cigar is a cigar. Clean the tank, service the coolant, and be happy. nipper

When you put the car in D it goes through all the gears starting out in first. Tranny is slipping, its not disnegeing, the clutches are loosing traction, which makes it feel like its in neutral. nipper

If the car wont hold third gear, it will not shift into 4th gear, that does for any car with an automatic. Your first post made it sound like ti wouldnt go into third gear at all, not that it slipped when it went into third. "Putting transmission in "D" (Drive) does not "engage" transmission. Acts like is in neutral. Putting in "3" has same result. Putting in "2" does drive the car, as does "1". " at that point is was possible that it was a bad solenoid. nipper

I'm using his terminolgy, as I neve know what they call parts in different countries anymore. nipper

Sadly your done. Dont look further. Your tranny is done. What you describe as slipping into neutral is your transmission slipping. The clutches are shot in third gear. Once an automatic starts slipping, there isnt anything that can be done. Yes people will talk of a brake band adjustment, but that is on second gear. I dont know if you have a three speed or four speed auto, but if you only have 1-2-d its a three 1-2-3-d its a four speed. nipper

After owning a GL with a 1.8L engine, and various cars with less then 2L capacity, i think my 2.5L kicks but in the heat department. those other engines once it got below 25 had no heat. Now look at the subaru engine. it is essentially two 2 cylinder engines opposing each other. you have twice as much surface area and water jacket area exposed to air. So they will be a little slow to warm up. nipper

I guess you dont have the oil anymore. Simple test. Take a sample of oil and put it in a clas jar and sit it on the shelf. Oil and water dont mix, and the water will seperate out. To me the oil looks fine. White gunk in the cap is more or less normal on an engine, especially if the oil fill is on a long neck. Start aving pennies for a HG kit, as somepoint that thing will no longer cooperate with you. nipper

Only things ive seen here with any merit that fit under disaster is the Head gasket. The seperator plate is anoying, seals are normal wear and tear Nothing lasts for ever, and having been one of the people that blew a bottom end at 196,000 miles, i consider that not unusual for any engine. Also the pully of death has been left out, but thats usually from inproper instalation after replacing the main seal. Odd how torque bind is left out. I think the list is just alarmist. From seeing what been posted here, only HG qualify as wide spread, followed by the oil seperator plate. nipper

You can even feel it with your hand. Feel for the cable, then follow tthat. You probably just popped off the clip that holds the cable in place. nipper

They will settle or seat themselves once you driv around the block. They shouldnt settle much, if at all. nipper

TCU doesnt really do anything when the car isnt moving (in gear or not). Torque converter always there. Engine mounts/tranny mount possible. If you really want to get insedious there is this big rotating mass behind the torque converter that is succeptable to wear, its called the front pump in the transmission. Possible cracked flex plate I still say its engine related if the half shafts havent been changed. Need to find a shop with a Sun engine analyzer to see what they can find. The ECU is a horrible dignostics tool for this kind of thing. nipper